Method for fabricating a semiconductor component including a high capacitance per unit area capacitor
A method is provided for fabricating a semiconductor component that includes a capacitor having a high capacitance per unit area. The component is formed in and on a semiconductor on insulator (SOI) substrate having a first semiconductor layer, a layer of insulator on the first semiconductor layer, and a second semiconductor layer overlying the layer of insulator. The method comprises forming a first capacitor electrode in the first semiconductor layer and depositing a dielectric layer comprising Ba1-xCaxTi1-yZryO3 overlying the first capacitor electrode. A conductive material is deposited and patterned to form a second capacitor electrode overlying the dielectric layer, thus forming a capacitor having a high dielectric constant dielectric. An MOS transistor in then formed in a portion of the second semiconductor layer, the MOS transistor, and especially the gate dielectric of the MOS transistor, formed independently of forming the capacitor and electrically isolated from the capacitor.
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The present invention generally relates to a method for fabricating a semiconductor component, and more particularly relates to a method for fabricating a semiconductor component having a capacitor with a high dielectric constant dielectric.
BACKGROUNDThe majority of present day integrated circuits (ICs) are implemented by using a plurality of interconnected field effect transistors (FETs), also called metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs or MOS transistors). The ICs are usually formed using both P-channel and N-channel FETs and the IC is then referred to as a complementary MOS or CMOS circuit. Certain improvements in performance of FET ICs can be realized by forming the FETs in a thin layer of semiconductor material overlying an insulator layer. Such semiconductor on insulator (SOI) FETs, among other benefis, exhibit lower junction capacitance and hence can operate at higher speeds.
The MOS transistors formed in and on the SOI layer are interconnected to implement the desired circuit function. A number of voltage busses are also connected to appropriate devices to power those devices as required by the circuit function. The voltage busses may include, for example, a Vdd bus, a Vcc bus, a Vss bus, and the like, and may include busses coupled to external power sources as well as busses coupled to internally generated or internally altered power sources. As used herein, the terms will apply to external as well as internal busses. As various nodes in the circuit are either charged or discharged during the operation of the circuit, the various busses must source or sink current to those nodes. Especially as the switching speed of the integrated circuits increases, the requirement of sourcing or sinking current by a bus can cause significant voltage spikes on the bus because of the inherent inductance of the bus. To avoid logic errors that might be caused by the voltage spikes, it has become commonplace to place decoupling capacitors between the busses. For example, such decoupling capacitors can be connected between the Vdd and Vss busses. These decoupling capacitors are typically distributed along the length of the busses. The capacitors are usually formed as MOS capacitors with one plate of the capacitor formed by the same material used to form the gate electrode of the MOS transistors, the other plate of the capacitor formed by an impurity doped region in the SOI layer, and the dielectric separating the two plates of the capacitor formed by the gate dielectric.
One problem with such decoupling capacitors formed in the conventional manner is the size of the capacitors. There is a continuing effort to reduce the size of integrated circuit components so that an ever increasing number of components can be fabricated on a semiconductor chip of a given size. The size of the conventionally fabricated decoupling capacitors is an impediment to the continuing effort. To increase the capacitance per unit area of a conventionally fabricated decoupling capacitor, which would allow a reduction in capacitor size, the thickness of the capacitor dielectric must be reduced. Reducing the thickness of the capacitor dielectric leads to problems of increased capacitor leakage current as well as reduced reliability. Additionally, it is disadvantageous to require that the same dielectric material be used for both the gate dielectric of MOS transistors and for the capacitor dielectric because such requirement limits the flexibility of the fabrication process.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a method for fabricating an integrated circuit that includes high capacitance per unit area capacitors without resorting to very thin dielectric layers. In addition, it is desirable provide methods for fabricating integrated circuits including capacitors in which the capacitor dielectric is formed separately from the gate insulator of MOS transistors of the IC. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.
BRIEF SUMMARYA method is provided for fabricating a semiconductor component that includes a capacitor having a high capacitance per unit area. The component is formed in and on a semiconductor on insulator (SOI) substrate having a first semiconductor layer, a layer of insulator on the first semiconductor layer, and a second semiconductor layer overlying the layer of insulator. The method comprises forming a first capacitor electrode in the first semiconductor layer and depositing a dielectric layer comprising Ba1-xCaxTi1-yZryO3 overlying the first capacitor electrode. A conductive material is deposited and patterned to form a second capacitor electrode overlying the dielectric layer, thus forming a capacitor having a high dielectric constant dielectric. An MOS transistor in then formed in a portion of the second semiconductor layer, the MOS transistor, and especially the gate dielectric of the MOS transistor, formed independently of forming the capacitor and electrically isolated from the capacitor.
The present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the following drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements, and wherein
The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the invention or the application and uses of the invention. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary or the following detailed description.
Novel methods for fabricating semiconductor integrated circuits (ICs) have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,936,514, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The present invention overcomes certain shortcomings of the methods disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,936,514 by providing methods for fabricating ICs that incorporate high dielectric constant (“high-K”) insulator materials as a capacitor dielectric to increase capacitance efficiency (increased capacitance per unit area) and reduce leakage currents without impacting the gate insulator film of the transistors implementing the IC.
As illustrated in
SOI substrate 26 can be formed by a number of well known processes such as the well known layer transfer technique. In that technique high doses of hydrogen are implanted into a subsurface region of an oxidized monocrystalline silicon wafer to form an hydrogen stressed subsurface layer. The implanted wafer is then flip bonded to monocrystalline silicon substrate 32. A two phase heat treatment is then carried out to split the hydrogen implanted wafer along the implanted region and to strengthen the bonding, leaving a thin monocrystalline silicon layer 28 bonded to the monocrystalline silicon substrate and separated from the substrate by a dielectric insulating layer 30. The monocrystalline silicon layer is then thinned and polished, for example by chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) techniques, to a thickness of about 5-50 nanometers (nm) depending on the circuit function being implemented. Both the monocrystalline silicon layer and the monocrystalline silicon carrier substrate preferably have a resistivity of at least about 1-35 Ohms per square. Silicon layer 28 can be impurity doped either N-type or P-type, but is preferably doped P-type. Substrate layer 32 is preferably doped P-type. Dielectric insulating layer 30, typically silicon dioxide, preferably has a thickness of about 50-200 nm.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
In accordance with one embodiment of the invention N-type conductivity determining ions are implanted (as indicated by arrows 46) through opening 44 to form an N-type impurity doped region 48 in exposed portion 43 of silicon layer 32 as illustrated in
After removing the patterned photoresist mask and carefully cleaning the surface of the doped region, a layer of metal 50 is deposited onto the surface of the doped region and overlying silicon layer 28 and the STI regions as illustrated in
As illustrated in
Following the CMP and annealing steps the exposed surface of silicon layer 28 is cleaned in preparation for beginning fabrication of MOS transistor 22. MOS transistor 22 can be fabricated in accordance with standard MOS processing that is integrated with steps to complete the fabrication and interconnection of capacitor 24 into the circuit function. As illustrated in
Layer 60 of photoresist is patterned as an etch mask for the subsequent patterning of polycrystalline silicon layer 58 to form the gate electrode of MOS transistor 22 as well as the gate electrodes of other MOS transistors of the IC. As illustrated in
After removing patterned photoresist layer 60, sidewall spacers 80 can be formed on the sidewalls of gate electrode 70 and dummy gates 72, 74, and 76. The sidewall spacers can be formed, as is well known, by depositing a layer of silicon oxide or other spacer forming material. The spacer forming material is anisotropically etched, for example by RIE, to remove the material from horizontal surfaces while leaving spacers on the vertical surfaces. As illustrated in
A layer of dielectric material 90 is deposited over MOS transistor 22 and decoupling capacitor 24 and the top surface of the layer is planarized, for example by CMP. One or more contact openings 92 are etched through dielectric material 90, STI 38, and oxide layer 30 to expose a portion 94 of impurity doped region 48. Preferably contact openings 92 are also formed either adjacent to or through a portion of metal layer 50 so that a portion of metal layer 50 is exposed by the contact openings. As illustrated in
As illustrated in
Although not illustrated, fabrication of the integrated circuit can be completed, in a manner well know to those of skill in the art, by steps such as depositing and patterning further dielectric layers, etching openings through those layers, depositing and patterning metal layers to contact and interconnect the various devices that make up the total integrated circuit, and the like. Such steps are well known and need not be described in detail herein.
While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that various changes can be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims and the legal equivalents thereof.
Claims
1. A method for fabricating a semiconductor component including a semiconductor on insulator (SOI) substrate having a first semiconductor layer, a layer of insulator on the first semiconductor layer, and a second semiconductor layer overlying the layer of insulator, the method comprising the steps of:
- etching an opening through the layer of insulator to expose a portion of the first semiconductor layer;
- depositing a first layer of metal overlying the second semiconductor layer and into the opening and contacting the exposed portion of the first semiconductor layer;
- depositing a dielectric layer comprising Ba1-xCaxTi1-yZryO3 overlying the first layer of metal;
- depositing a second layer of metal overlying the dielectric layer;
- annealing the dielectric layer at a temperature in excess of 450° C.;
- removing a portion of the first layer of metal, the dielectric layer, and the second layer of metal overlying the second semiconductor layer to expose a surface of the second semiconductor layer;
- forming a layer of gate insulator at the surface of the second semiconductor layer; and
- depositing and patterning a layer of gate electrode material to form a gate electrode overlying the layer of gate insulator.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of depositing a first layer of metal comprises the step of depositing a layer of nickel and the step of depositing a second layer of metal comprises the step of depositing a layer of nickel.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of depositing a dielectric layer comprises the step of depositing a dielectric layer comprising Ba0.96Ca0.04Ti0.84Zr0.16O3.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of depositing a dielectric layer comprises the step of depositing a dielectric layer by a process of rf magnetron sputtering.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of depositing a dielectric layer comprises the step of depositing a dielectric layer by a process of magnetron sputtering.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of depositing a dielectric layer by a process of magnetron sputtering comprises the step of depositing a dielectric layer by a process of magnetron sputtering using a target comprising barium, calcium, titanium, zirconium, oxygen, and a dopant material.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of annealing the dielectric layer comprises the step of annealing the dielectric layer at a temperature greater than 1000° C.
8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of implanting conductivity determining ions through the opening and into the first semiconductor layer to form a first electrode of a capacitor.
9. The method of claim 8 further comprising the steps of:
- etching a second opening through at least a portion of the first metal layer to expose a portion of the first electrode; and
- depositing a conductive material into the second opening to electrically contact the first metal layer and the first electrode.
10. A method for fabricating a semiconductor component including a semiconductor on insulator (SOI) substrate having a first semiconductor layer, a layer of insulator on the first semiconductor layer, and a second semiconductor layer overlying the layer of insulator, the method comprising the steps of:
- etching a first opening extending through the second semiconductor layer to the layer of insulator;
- depositing an oxide overlying the second semiconductor layer and filling the first opening;
- planarizing the oxide by a process of chemical mechanical planarization to expose a surface of the second semiconductor layer;
- etching a second opening extending through the oxide and the layer of insulator to expose a portion of the first semiconductor layer;
- implanting conductivity determining ions through the second opening to form an impurity doped region in the first semiconductor layer;
- contacting the impurity doped region with a first layer of metal;
- depositing a dielectric layer comprising Ba1-xCaxTi1-yZryO3 over the first layer of metal;
- depositing a second layer of metal overlying the dielectric layer;
- removing a portion of the first layer of metal, the dielectric layer, and the second layer of metal overlying the second semiconductor layer by a process of chemical mechanical planarization;
- etching a third opening through the first layer of metal to expose a portion of the impurity doped region; and
- forming a first electrically conductive contact to the impurity doped region and a second electrically conductive contact to the second layer of metal.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of depositing a dielectric layer comprises the step of depositing a dielectric layer comprising Ba0.96Ca0.04Ti0.84Zr0.16O3.
12. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of depositing a dielectric layer further comprises the step of doping the layer comprising Ba0.96Ca0.04Ti0.84Zr0.16O3 with a dopant material.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein the step of doping comprises the step of doping with a material comprising scandium.
14. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of annealing the dielectric layer at a temperature above 1000° C.
15. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of forming an MOS transistor in and on the second semiconductor layer.
16. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of forming a first electrically conductive contact to the impurity doped region further comprises the step of forming the first electrically conductive contact to the first layer of metal.
17. A method for fabricating a semiconductor component including a semiconductor on insulator (SOI) substrate having a first semiconductor layer, a layer of insulator on the first semiconductor layer, and a second semiconductor layer overlying the layer of insulator, the method comprising the steps of:
- forming an impurity doped region in the first semiconductor layer;
- depositing a first metal layer in electrical contact with the impurity doped region to form a first capacitor electrode;
- depositing a dielectric layer comprising Ba1-xCaxTi1-yZryO3 overlying the first capacitor electrode;
- depositing and patterning a metal material to form a second capacitor electrode overlying the dielectric layer;
- forming an MOS transistor in a portion of the second semiconductor layer; and
- electrically isolating the MOS transistor from the second capacitor electrode by a shallow trench isolation region.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein the step of depositing a dielectric layer comprises the step of depositing a dielectric layer comprising Ba0.96Ca0.04Ti0.84Zr0.16O3.
19. The method of claim 18 wherein the step of depositing a dielectric layer further comprises the step of doping the dielectric layer.
20. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of depositing an additional conductive material in contact with the first capacitor electrode.
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Type: Grant
Filed: Apr 20, 2006
Date of Patent: Oct 21, 2008
Patent Publication Number: 20070249166
Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (Austin, TX)
Inventor: Mario M. Pelella (Mountain View, CA)
Primary Examiner: Kimberly D Nguyen
Assistant Examiner: Mamadou Diallo
Attorney: Ingrassia Fisher & Lorenz, P.C.
Application Number: 11/409,362
International Classification: H01L 21/8242 (20060101);